The invention relates to a passenger cabin window, especially in a commercial transport aircraft, whereby the cabin window essentially comprises an outer window pane and an inner window pane with an interspace formed therebetween, and a frame arranged around the perimeter of the interspace.
The fuselage of conventional commercial transport aircraft, at least in the areas enclosing a passenger cabin therein, are typically provided with cabin windows to provide a view for the passengers and help avoid a closed-in or claustrophobic feeling. These windows must be embodied in a pressure-tight manner due to the pressurized environment maintained within the aircraft fuselage, and the resulting pressure difference between the interior and the exterior of the fuselage during the flight at high altitudes. In order to achieve a pressure-tight and sufficiently strong window construction, the lateral dimensions thereof are limited. Moreover, in order to minimize the weakening of the fuselage structure that results from forming holes through the fuselage to install the windows, it is typical to use a plurality of relatively small individual exterior windows.
The above described conventional cabin windows are, for example, disclosed in the German Patent Publications DE-AS 1,252,533 and DD 23 321. These windows comprise an outer window pane and an inner window pane, with a window interspace formed therebetween, and a frame arranged around the perimeter of the interspace. This frame is typically referred to as a xe2x80x9cwindow funnelxe2x80x9d because it expands or flares in the manner of a funnel, from the relatively smaller dimensions of the outer window pane to the relatively larger surface area dimensions of the inner window pane.
The inner window pane is effectively a part of the finish components of the passenger cabin, while the outer window pane is arranged substantially flush with the exterior of the fuselage skin. Thus, the spacing distance between the outer pane and the inner pane is substantially prescribed by the structural depth or thickness of the fuselage wall between the fuselage outer skin and the interior cabin paneling of the passenger cabin. In some aircraft with a rather large structural depth or thickness of the fuselage structure, and particularly in high capacity or wide bodied aircraft, the xe2x80x9cwindow funnelxe2x80x9d expands quite significantly between the outer pane and the inner pane. The resulting significant xe2x80x9cfunnel effectxe2x80x9d can make the outside window opening appear extremely small when viewed by a passenger from the interior of the cabin, which can cause a closed-in or claustrophobic feeling in the passengers. In passengers suffering from claustrophobia, this funnel-effect or tunnel-vision-effect can trigger anxiety, fear and panic.
In view of the above, it is an object of the invention to improve a cabin window arrangement, so as to reduce or avoid the closed-in or funnel-effect or tunnel-vision-effect despite the relatively small window size of the outer window pane and a relatively large structural depth of the fuselage wall of the window funnel arranged therein. It is a further object of the invention to visually hide or obscure the true depth or thickness of the fuselage wall in which the window is arranged and the true dimensional relationships of the window, and to provide a visually enlarged appearance of the outer window surface area and a visually reduced thickness of the fuselage wall when viewed from the interior of the cabin, thereby providing an open and unconfined impression. The invention further aims to avoid or overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and to achieve additional advantages, as apparent from the present specification.
The above objects have been achieved according to the invention in a passenger cabin window comprising an outer window-pane and an inner window pane with a window interspace formed therebetween, and a frame arranged around the perimeter of the interspace, wherein a reflective surface is provided on at least a visible portion of the frame at the perimeter of the window interspace. The reflective surface can be provided by a chrome layer or a metal foil layer applied or deposited onto the window frame. The reflective surface is preferably a specular or mirror reflective surface.
The inventive arrangement advantageously provides the optical or visual impression that the surface area of the window opening, and particularly the outer window opening, is larger than it truly is. Similarly the inventive window advantageously hides or obscures the true structural depth of the fuselage wall. In this manner, an enclosing or tunnel-vision effect on the passengers in the passenger cabin can be avoided or reduced. This optical illusion of an enlarged window and thinner fuselage wall is especially effective during flight, because the random and variform visual image of the sky and clouds and the like is reflected in the reflective surface of the window frame, without providing visual cues to the passenger that he or she is seeing a reflection rather than a direct line-of-sight image. Namely, it is difficult to distinguish the transition between the actual image and the reflected image of a random and changing pattern such as a view of clouds and the sky. In comparison, on the ground, where the passenger""s field of view includes distinct visual reference points, it is more difficult to xe2x80x9ctrickxe2x80x9d the view of the passenger into believing that the reflection is an actual line-of-sight image if close attention is paid. Nonetheless, to the casual observer who looks out of the window according to the invention, an enlarged visual appearance of the exterior window opening will be provided both on the ground and during flight.